Millbay Boulevard will link Plymouth city centre with the city’s waterfront and ferry terminal via an attractive walking and cycling route which integrates sustainable urban drainage and an underground low heat network.

The scheme entails the widening of the current dilapidated back-street to make space for green infrastructure and street furniture, as well as enhancing sustainable mobility. The project will help to catalyse the regeneration of the surrounding area via the integration of sustainable drainage and high quality design including coastal planting and granite.

The work will involve doubling the width of Bath Street on the east side and providing a tree lined street with pedestrian footpaths down both sides. The boulevard will eventually be the location for to up to 300 new homes and a new 170 bed hotel, making an attractive environment crucially important.

The existing space for sustainable drainage was very limited and so the work has required equipment for the Pavilions being relocated and the demolition of a redundant vehicle access ramp. A new structural wall of approximately 5.5 metres in height will then be constructed with particular care being taken to ensure this part of the work is aethetically pleasing.

The area is low lying and suffers from a lack of drainage for storm water, which is a constraint to development due to the levels of flood risk. Currently flood water causes damage and disruption, especially when tides are high and prevented from draining into the sea. The project will lead to the creation of 500m3 of buffering capacity and one hectare of land will be at less risk of flooding as a result. In addition, the scheme is designed to link up with other sustainable drainage schemes that are envisioned for the city centre, supporting the implementation of the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy for Plymouth.

News May 2021: the works are now complete! See the completed scheme photographs here.